Fluid drive unit



Dec. 20, 1949 c. A. HILER ET Al.

FLUID DRIVE UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 23, 1947 INVENTORS.

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C. A. HILER ET AL FLUID DRIVE UNIT Dec. 20, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed sept. 25,4194? EET-'l SMU En" El EYS.

,J BY 4 M f ATTORN Patented Dec. 20', 1949 il? F I CE FLUID DRIVE UNIT Carl A. iiiler, Muskegon Heights, and Willard E. Nelson, Watervliet, Mich.

Appiieation September 23, 1947, Serial No. 775,620

(Cl. 'lll- 688) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to fluid drive units.

An important object of the invention is to provide a new fluid clutch and associated gearing which will afford an efficient and quiet change from neutral to forward or reverse.

Another important object is to provide a novel fiuid drive unit containing no springs nor like parts apt to become readily broken, nor associated parts the interaction of which causes eX- cessive vibrations, sudden jerks, undesirable slippages of parts and the like.

Still another important object is to provide such a unit, comprising few parts and all the parts being oi sturdy construction.

Another important object is to provide a particularly compact fluid drive unit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the follow-1 ing detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this disclosure, and in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the novel drive unit.

Figure 2 is a transverse section, substantially on the line 2.-2 of Figure 1` In the drawings, wherein for the purpose oi illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference charactors designate corresponding parts throughout the several views the novel iiuid drive unit includes a rotatable housing or outer member l@ enclosing an impeller assembly or inner mein ber l l and gearing lil, and associated with which are a driven shaft i3 and drive shaft it. There may also be provided brake means it for the rotatable housing it.

The housing lil comprises, in the example shown, an outer cylindrical Wall it, closed at one end by the end wail 2l and closed at the other end by the end wall 22, with the walls 2d, 2l and 22 defining a chamber 23.

Extending inwardly from each end of the cylindrical wall is a flange EN: and this wall may also be provided with a port 225i, having a re1novable closure 2t so that the chamber 23 may lled with and emptied oi a suitable fluid for drive purposes.

Means il to detachably secure the end wall Iii to the cylindrical wall 2@ at one iiange 'fifi may be screws extending into the wall 2l and associated flange 24 and means it to similarly secure the end wall 22, may be screws extending into the Wall 22 and associated nange 24.

The ends walls 2l and 22 are provided with shaft-receiving, axial openings 3) and 3i respectively, and one end wall (in the example shown, the end Wall 22) has a gear housing 32 extending outwardly from its inner face, with the housing 32 provided with a substantially circular shaft opening 3S axially aligned with the openings and 3 i, and two substantially circular openings 36! and axially aligned and with their axes normal to the ci the openings St, 3i and t3.

Projecting radially from the inner face of the cylindrical wall are a plurality of spaced-apart, lcfngtudinally-erztendingy internal hns or imn paliers St, as may be seen in Fig. 2. Preferably these ins are relatively narrow and have end faces Si. The uns preferably extend to the flanges and are secured thereto, thus providingV a triple attachment of each iin to the wall 2t.

Rotatahly carried hy the housing iii is the impeller assembly t i, which latter preferably comprises a cylindrical wall tu (of course, inwardly of the cylindrical wall 2id) open at both ends and provided with peripheral flanges @il projecting outwardly from its two ends. The cylindrical wall lil is supported by spacedepart sup'- port members ft2 provided with a lieyway 13 for means iii to key the impeller assembly li to the drive shaft it.

Projecting outwardly from the periphery'oi the cylindrical wall @il are a plurality of spaced-apart, longitudinally-extending hns or impellers l5 having end faces llt constructed and arranged to clear the hns hut with the faces 3l' and 36. providing a close tolerance. Like the iins 36, the viins may be attached to thecylindricai Wall liti and i to its flanges fil as well.

Housed in the gear housing 32 is the gearing lli which, in the example shown, comprises a pair of double pinion gears 5E! and 5i, a relatively small gear Ell and a relatively large gear 53. The two gears 5% and 5l are mounted, in spacedapart relationship on a cross shaft 5i with the closest-adjacent pinions meshing with the gear 52 and the remote pinions of each double pinion gear meshing with the gear 53. The gear 52 is xed to the end of the drive shaft iti and the gear 5S is Xed to the end of the driven shaft I3. The shaft 554 extends into the aligning openings Si and 35 in the gear housing Wall, and the drive shaft M extends through the opening 33 for rotation therein.

The driven shaft I3 may be rotatably supported by suitable :friction-reducing means, as roller bearings 55 carried in the end wall 22 and suitable packing 5t may also surround this shaft and be carried by the wall 22.

Between the anges 24 and end walls 22 may be packing means, as a packing ring l.

Likewise the drive shaft I4 may be rotatably supported by suitable friction-reducing means, as roller bearings 58 and be packed by suitable packing 59, both carried by the end wall 2I.

Between the flanges 24 and end wall 2| may be disposed packing means, as a packing ring til.

Spacing one support member 42 from the end wall 2l is a spacer 6I and spacing the other support member i2 from the gear housing 32 is a spacer 62.

Any suitable conventional braking means I5 may be provided, such as a brake band 65 encircling the outer cylindrical wall and constructed and arranged to selectively grip and release this wall as is well known in the art.

With the unoccupied space in the chamber 23 supplied with a suitable fluid (as oil) rotation of the impeller assembly I! will cause its ns 5 to force oil by centrifugal force against the sides of the fins 36 and rotate the housing Ill.

When any suitable means (not shown) for rotation of the shaft Ill causes the shaft Ill, its associated gear 52, and the impeller assembly II to rotate this causes, also, rotation of the gears 50 and 5I, but permitting gear F13 and lshaft I3 to remain idle only when motor or power means is running at a slow or idling speed, and the shaft I3 is held under load. The shaft i3 and its associate gear 53 remain idle until the motor speed is increased to the point where the centrifugal force of the fluid against the outer ns of the unit increases the torque to the extent where it moves the load. However, the cross shaft ll will cause rotation of the gear housing 32 and, consequently, the housing Il, rotates at substantially half the speed of rotation of the impeller assembly II, since there is a slippage afforded by the fluid.

Upon increasing the speed of the shaft I4 and parts secured thereto, the centrifugal force, as stated, decreases the slippage noted and, gradually, the housing I begins to increase its speed of rotation and this, in turn, causes the shaft I3 to begin rotation, in the same direction of rotation as that of the shaft I4. Eventually, the housing Ill and impeller assembly II will be rotating at the same speed, with the gear ratio changing with it and gradually decreasing from 1 :2 to 1:1.

When the unit is idling or in neutral as stated, the brake means i5 may be employed to slow up and stop rotation of the housing lll. As is now apparent, the shaft Id=wil1 be caused to rotate at low speed but it rotates the pinions 5B and 5I and they, in turn, rotate the gear 53 and shaft I3 in the opposite direction. This anfords a reverse action, with a speed up to that which will be permitted by fluid slippage past the fins.

To summarize the operation, considering the ratios of the R. P. lVl.s of the shafts I3 and I4, if the ratio of gears 5t, 5I, 52 and 53 were 4:1, cylinder Il@ would rotate four times as fast as cylinder 2li (at idling speed) but when the speed is increased to the point where both cylinders 2i] and il@ rotate together, the shafts I3 and lf3, gears 5U to 53 will also rotate in unison with the cylinder E@ and its attached end walls 2l and 22 but the shafts i3 and ill will not rotate with respect to their bearings 33 and 3l and gears 5s and 5i will not rotate on shaft 54. Thus, the entire assembly rotates as would a unit, and the R. P. M. of shaft I3 would be zero at idling speed and gradually pickl up speed as the speed of shaft I4 increased, so that shaft I3 would eventually 4 rotate at the same R. P. M. as shaft I4. Likewise, all the other members of the assembly will be rotating at the same R. P. M. and there will be no wear on the assembly, as when the outer cylinder 20 is rotating at the same speed as inner cylinder 40.

This novel uid drive unit is particularly compact. For example, the gear housing 32 fits within the impeller assembly II, thus reducing the overall length. It is light in weight, yet sturdy. For example, the ns or impellers 36 and 45 are attached at three edges to their respective members Ii) and II.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a fluid drive unit, an outer rotatable housing member having a side wall having inturned flanges at its ends and end walls through which extends the axis of rotation of said member, said walls defining a uid chamber, and a plurality of fins projecting inwardly from said side Wall and extending longitudinally of said member and rigid with said flanges; an open-ended impeller assembly member within said outer member having a cylindrical side wall having outwardly-projecting end flanges and fins projecting outwardly from said last-named side wall toward said firstnamed side wall and rigid with said last-named anges, with the free ends of the second fins clearing said first fins and in close proximity thereto; a driven shaft extending into said housing member from one end wall thereof and rotatable independently of said housing member, a drive shaft extending into said housing member at the other end wall thereof and into said impeller assembly rotatable independently of said housing member; means securing said drive shaft to said impeller assembly member at the axis of rotation of the latter; a gear housing within and rigidly secured to said outer housing with the inner ends of both of said shafts extending into said gear housing, and gearing within said gear housing, including pinion gears, means including a cross shaft mounting said gears and carried by said gear housing with the longitudinal axis of said cross shaft normal to the axes of rotation of said drive and driven shafts, a drive gear meshing with said pinion gears and secured to said drive shaft, and a gear meshing with said pinion gears and secured to said driven shaft and being of a circumference greater than the circumference of said drive gear.

2. In a fluid drive unit, an outer rotatable housing member having a side wall having inturned flanges at its ends and end walls through which extends the axis of rotation of said member, said walls defining a fluid chamber, and a plurality of ns projecting inwardly from said side wall and extending longitudinally of said member and rigid with said flanges; an open-ended impeller assembly within said outer member having a side wall having outwardly-projecting end flanges and fins projecting outwardly from said lastnamed side wall toward said first-named side wall and rigid with said last-named flanges, with the free ends of said last fins clearing said first fins and close proximity thereto, there being an egual number of rst and last named fins; a driven shaft extending into said housing member from one end wall thereof and rotatable independently of said housing member, a drive shaft extending into said housing member at the other 5 end wall thereof, rotatable independently of said housing member; means securing said drive shaft to said impeller assembly at the axis of rotation of the latter; a gear housing Within and xedly secured to said outer housing With the inner ends of both vof said shafts extending into said gear housing, gearing means including a pair of spaced-'apart pinion gears, means mounting said pinion gears within said gear housing to rotate on a common axis of rotation normal to the axes of rotation of said shafts, a drive gear mounted upon said drive shaft and meshing with said pinion gears, and a gear mounted upon said driven shaft and of a diameter length different from the diameter length of the drive gear and meshing with said pinion gears; and means to selectively permit and prevent rotation of said housing member.

CARL A. HILER.

WILLARD E. NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

